Aberconwy MP Guto Bebb criticised by the government and BT over a claim Conwy is excluded from the roll-out of super-fast internet

Conservative Aberconwy MP Guto Bebb has launched a petition to put pressure on the Welsh Government and BT to improve access to broadband in his constituency.

Mr Bebb claims the lack of high-speed internet access is “shocking” and has become a “barrier to economic growth”.

The MP said he received “phenomenal” reports about problems across his constituency.

Introducing his online petition, Broadband for Aberconwy, he states: “BT and the Welsh Government have, together, chosen the areas which they will be prioritising for the roll-out of the fibre-optic broadband programme.

"The county of Conwy was excluded. Repeated requests have been submitted for the rationale behind this decision but no response has been forthcoming.

“BT continue to hide behind a claimed commercial confidentiality agreement with the Welsh Government. This is simply not acceptable in view of the £120m of taxpayers’ money which has been committed to the all-Wales broadband rollout.

He said the lack of high-speed internet access was “really now a barrier to economic growth,” adding: “We have businesses who are centres of excellence in the outdoors pursuit sector who have less that a megabit of connection.”

Businesses which offer accommodation online, he added, were double-booking because of poor internet access and this gave the “area a bad name”.

The issue of slow broadband has been adopted by The Daily Post – the Up to Speed campaign was launched on behalf of North Welsh communities which are fighting for a better service.

A Welsh Government spokeswoman said: “Guto Bebb is mistaken. There is no question of Conwy county being excluded from the Superfast Cymru scheme, which is bringing fast-fibre broadband to parts of Wales which would otherwise miss out.

“The sheer size of the programme means it is not possible to plan and roll-out everywhere at the same time. This is one of the most ambitious programmes in the UK with the aim of reaching 96% of properties by the end of spring 2016.”

A BT spokesman said: “Conwy has not been excluded from the rollout. This was explained to all Welsh MPs, including Mr Bebb, earlier this year.

“We also recently met with senior officials and councillors from Conwy County Council to update them on progress. The next areas to benefit will be announced shortly.”

A UK Government source said: “The UK Government has provided a substantial portion of the funding for super-fast broadband in Wales, in accordance with its commitment to deliver the best broadband network in Europe.

"The Welsh Government is charged with the implementation of the project in Wales, however, we take a keen interest in the project and are maintaining engagement with the Welsh Government.”

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The Editor

Mark Thoma

Liverpool-born Mark joined the Daily Post in January 2014 after seven years as editor of its Merseyside sister title the Liverpool Post. He started out as a weekly news reporter on Wirral Newspapers, and spent seven years at the Daily Post and Liverpool Echo. He was The Press Association's regional correspondent for North Wales, Merseyside and Cheshire from 1983 to 1997, before returning to the ECHO as deputy news editor. He has won a number of journalism awards, including the UK Press Gazzette Regional Reporter of the Year award, and in 1993 wrote a book on the James Bulger murder.